YHA Sydney Central

Well it is a YHA, what do you expect? I came here for Mardi Gras, $100 per night. I booked a 4 bedroom female dorm which was completely full the entire stay. Luckily, in the morning, one girl checked out and the other 2 left to do their own thing. I had the whole room to myself to get dressed. Tip: Bring an ultra-fast multiport charger at least 3m long and your stay will be easy. There are 2 charging sockets: a common one on the wall and also one inside your personal locker. Pros:

• Excellent location with tram line in front and central station across the road.
• Unlike other YHAs, the other travellers were quiet, polite and well mannered and there was a whole bunch of different people from different countries.
• My stay included free breakfast. It's only cereals, toast, muffins etc. Missing protein like eggs and ham/ sausage. Still decent. I had croissant with Lurpack butter and coffee and juice.
• Kitchen area is very clean and well maintained, and there are enough cutlery, fridge storage, microwaves benchtop space etc.
• Very quiet. I was on the 7th floor so I couldn't hear the tram or passers by.
• Free towels/ locker space provided.
• If you check out early, you still have access to the kitchen, locker and toilet ( ask for card) and you can lounge in the reception area and nap or charge your devices.
• Good ratio of toilets/ bathroom to ppl. There was no one using the facilities when I took a shower or put on my makeup. They had a full length mirror in the bathroom and another big mirror in the room.

Neutral:

• I had to remind the check in staff that my booking included breakfast. She gave me one breakfast voucher. I told her I was staying for 2 days and then she gave me the second one.
• The next day, my card wouldn't work. I realised she only checked me in for one day. I had to go back to reception and get a new card issued.
• There's a movie theatre, sauna, rooftop pool etc. I did not intend to use these facilities anyway, so I didn't even see what it looked like. There are many nice hotels nearby like The Pullman if you want a instagram worthy pool experience.
• Previous reviews have complained of musty smell in rooms, bad linen/mattresses and dirty toilets. I think these are either mixed rooms or the boys' rooms. The room I stayed in was clean, and the corresponding girls only bathroom and toilet facilities were also clean. The mixed and boys only bathroom might be a different story. If you book a girls only room, you get a girls only bathroom also.

Cons:

• Sinks have bad plumbing, the drain pipes need to be replaced. The water is not draining so it's yucky when you brush your teeth. Additionally, this slow drainage means the sinks get dirty very quickly. I understand it's an old building, but all the more reason to update all the plumbing. It's a big job but it's got to be done.
• The shower glass had not been cleaned.
• Lifts very old and slow.
• The corridors smell a bit musty but luckily there is good AC and fresh air in the rooms.
• Central station clock tower clangs very loudly. It's kind of pleasant though.